SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA — Would you sacrifice your right to privacy in the name of safety and security? The Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security, among other government and law enforcement agencies, are becoming savvier at monitoring everyday human activity, almost always in the name of safety and security. Cameras at street intersections, satellites just beyond Earth’s atmosphere, GPS programming as a common feature in new vehicles and cell phones – it is becoming harder and harder to hide.
Maybe the best place to find some privacy is to hop on a boat and sail out to sea, where it is just you, the water, and marine life. Alas even the deep blue sea cannot offer you much seclusion anymore.
Many boats now have some form of GPS units attached to them. Even using a VHF radio can reveal where you are or listen in on other people’s conversations.
Some boaters might even want to install a Nationwide Automatic Identification System (NAIS) transponder onto their vessel. Coast Guard officials say the NAIS helps promote safe navigation and a more secure coastline. However, boaters risk giving up personal information to governmental officials in exchange for the promises of safety and security.
Is safety and security...
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9 Responses
As a retired police officer & a sail boat owner/operator , who cares. If your not doing something you should not, don’t worry about it.
Who cares? I do. Just being “good” is fine, until an unelected bureaucrat decides to change what is considered “right” and “wrong” with out our consent, vote, or sometimes even our knowledge. Human beings are corruptible. Absolute power corrupts absolutely (every time), and those in power have proven over and over again that they should not be trusted with that absolute power. Today’s benevolent dictator will someday either become corrupt, lose power or die, and hand his or her power over to the next person in line. That person is almost NEVER benevolent. The statement: “Just don’t do something you shouldn’t and you’ll be fine” is a woefully ignorant piece of advice, and ultimately dangerous, especially to our kids and their kids.
A police officer may understandably not see the approach of tyranny because the screening effect of years dealing with society’s dregs, and this is more of the problem. Blind adherence to enforcement of unethical and constitutionally illegal laws by the police is happening now, and is scheduled to continue and expand.
Art
So what you’re saying, even though you’ve done nothing wrong, its ok to violates ones constitutional rights? This type of mindset is precisely what’s wrong with America. You have the right to travel without being impeded, detained, or harassed. Our rights as Americans are being depleted little by little
Who cares….I do. Mike, if you have nothing to hide, I ask for your list of internet sites you are active in, complete with login details and passwords… Logins & passwords for your wifi router and computers. Allow me access to your vehicle, so that I might download your vehicles computer data incl gps data, speeds, etc… After all, you have nothing to hide.
Trying to debunk citizens privacy concerns, with the ole ‘if you have nothing to hide’ scam is just that. Everyone, including yourself, has something in the privacy realm they cherish.
You sir….are a complete and utter buffoon….and so, are to be considered as danger to the people – should be arrested and placed in solitary until such a time is deemed aduquate for tour re-education.
BS, erosion of civil rights is exactly what this is. It’s disgusting and you promote it?
It’s all OK as long as you can always opt out (which you never can of course). Not if but when the system goes down and there are no more physical nav aids, well you figure out the rest. Also, everything is hackable so drug runners will hack the system and erase their ships etc… On the other hand, whatever… Our privacy was long gone long ago, the government is just now letting the Sheeple know about it and of course, you have no power to do anything so bend over for more and more…
Absolutely no mention of the cameras & microphone in every, smartphone, tablet, laptops and near every smart TV’s [in our living rooms and bedrooms]; every one of which may be accessed and activated remotely via the (Inter)net work, by anyone with the requisite skillsets ?